Acendi uma vela na cozinha.

I lit a candle in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Acendi uma vela na cozinha.

• um: a
• em: in
• a cozinha: the kitchen
• acender: to turn on

Questions & Answers about Acendi uma vela na cozinha.

What does acendi mean grammatically?

Acendi is the 1st person singular form of the verb acender in the pretérito perfeito (simple past).

So it means I lit or I turned on, depending on context.
In this sentence, because of vela, it means I lit.

A quick breakdown:

• acender = to light, to switch on
• eu acendi = I lit / I switched on

Why is there no eu in the sentence?

Portuguese often leaves out the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb ending.

So instead of saying:

• Eu acendi uma vela na cozinha

it is very natural to say:

• Acendi uma vela na cozinha

The ending -i in acendi already tells you the subject is I.

Including eu is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Why is it uma vela and not just vela?